Customer Reviews

Tiger Burning Bright

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For the first hundred or so pages, this book was extremely boring. The characters were 2-dimensional (Wise old queen, impetuous young princess, etc.),it was somewhat hard to follow, and it was impossible to tell WHY anyone did what they did. After that, however, the plot picked up rather nicely, and, by the middle of the book I could not put it down. The romances were, in my opinion, predictable, but sweet anyway. I would say read it, it IS pretty good after the beginning, but be prepared to wade through a few hundred pages first.

this book had me bored to tears. i literally threw this book down a few times wondering when things were going to culminate? everything is tediously described three times by three different characters. three generations of a royal family are seen through three women of this royal house; the old queen, the middle aged heir and the young princess. in that it's pretty standard but instead of moving this story, which at its heart is wonderful, every scene is retold through each character's eyes with barely any variance.

this story of a kingdom threatened by an invading emperor who lusts for conquest sounded pretty interesting to me. his son, who the reader finds quickly is really loving and wishes for peace, is in this kingdom to help conqueror it. the three main characters, through who the story is told, are the queen, the heir and the young princess. the queen is aging and must pass on the throne but cannot when they are all forced to flee into hiding by the invaders. this summary is brief but the story is closely connected with the characters and i don't want to hand out to many teasers.

at the begginning of the book i was intrigued by the idea of this mystical kingdom with hidden secrets and mysterious rituals but by the third chapter i was wondering when something was going to happen to already. "tiger burning bright" hints that angels may play a very important role but then abruptly ignores the subject leaving the reader wondering why the lengthy description if they play no real role?

chapter after chapter is devoted to what every character is thinking, feeling, wearing and what they plan to do but never actually do. build up is all well and go and i am a never ending fan of suspense, holding it as critical part of a story but between three authors one would think that all this suspense was leading somewhere.

the long awaited ending was something i wouldn't call overly original, reading instead like some trashy romance novel. i knew who would end up with who by the fifth chapter and kept wondering when it would happen already. though many like the story line and i found i liked certain scenes or detail/ideas in the book overall i found it a dissappointing if not completely tiresome read.

This is a truely amazing book no matter where your taste lies. It is interesting, descriptive (without becoming boring), and has the ability to compell readers to read this beautifully wrought novel. Though it is told mainly through feminine views, it is not a story which the only reason the hero is not male is because the author likes the novelty of female heroines and thus gives the heroine infinite powers. Instead it is a story which contain both the upsides and downsides of human personality. However, since it is a fantasy novel and not a "real-life" story (in which someone gets cancer and the parents are divorced), something unusual has to happen to seperate it from the afforementioned category. The result is one of the best books I have ever read.

This is an excellent book! I was hooked from the first chapter. The characters take on a life of their own and you can't wait to find out what happens next. Highly recommended!

I'm an avid reader and book collector, and this has remained my favorite book for the past few years. It is not a brainless book -- it is hard for some people to get used to if they are not used to the style in which it is written. It had some wonderful original points and very strong, creative female characters. I have yet to have a friend say they didn't like this book!

Honestly, I expected something much more from such good writers. I was disappointed--so much so that I just couldn't finish it. Unfortunately, in many places, the three writing styles don't blend together leaving you wondering are they talking about the same characters here? Their mannerisms and exact ways of speaking change from author to author, which can be really frustrating. Also, the threat of the invasion of their precious city is the focus of the book--but you don't know their city, and don't give a darn what happens to it. You want to take over the city? Go ahead, for all I care! Also, I know that the authors tried to create very strong women, but I find that they are somehow...lacking. There are better characters out there--especially from Mercedes Lackey, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Andre Norton. BUT the characters in this book just are not up to their usual standards. It's too bad, really. If you are looking for a good book, then I suggest you keep looking

Three strong female writers serve to deliver a work with three strong and different female heroines.

The city state of Merina is facing destruction by the Emperor Balthasar. The ruling house of the Tiger surrenders the city to the oncoming forces. The ruling Queen then disappears, along with her Dowager mother (presumed dead) and heir apparent daughter.

I'm a bit surprised by the negative reviews to this book. I found the weaving together of the 3 stories worked well. The characters were strong, yet different, both in their motivations and their actions. The three different heroines were an excellent use of 3 talented authors.

Recommended for any fantasy fans, fans of the authors involved, and especially fantasy works with strong female protagonists.

I must say that I am glad to have found this book on the shelves at my library. I read it once and couldn't put it down. Then i kept thinking about it enough that I went out and bought my own copy. I would seriously recommend this book for anyone with a taste for mystery, magic, and fantasy, as well as those who are not quite as into fantasy, as there are only some elements of the book that are really fantastical. All in all, a great book, and one that I will enjoy reading over and over again.

One would have thought that three excellent writers combined are able to come up with something that is at least average! But this book is beyond that... Predictable plotlines, shallow characters and the standart ending are still the better part. Nevertheless that I can hardly stand the way how the characters are divided into two groups...good and evil...with the evil mage to pleat the case. But the book is not totally beyond help...I rather liked the idea of the story.. but the way it has worked out...if you love tastless, predictable romance... enjoy!

I just didn't GET this book...the three ladies who wrote it are, as far as I'm concerned, three of the most important female fantasy writers of all time. Yet I simply couldn't get into this book. The writing styles were just too different, and the story moved too slowly...this is a danger of multiple perspectives: the authors must backtrack to catch "their" character up to the others, and the reader is left slogging through a 400-page mess. I think that if this book had been a little better organized (and the characters a bit more believable) I would have enjoyed it more. As it was, it just left me with this vauge headache and the need to go back, re-read certain passages, and finall, put the book down and not come back to it.